A rise in Myhr'an violence near the Typhon Expanse diverts Captain Noah Wrightson and his crew aboard the USS Cantabrian from their original mission to explore the area. Picking up new crew members from other destroyed ships or starbases, the Cantabrian fights to find the real reason behind the sudden jump in Myhr'an ability and technology, finding every answer they uncover leads to so many more questions.

The Federation catches up with Samantha Delaney, but she's found some new allies and a new starship, fitted with some devastating weaponry. The Cantabrian and Aotearoa corner Delaney, but like a caged animal, she fights back, hitting the Cantabrian crew deep in their personal lives. But her final assault on Earth sees the Cantabrian crew fight tooth-and-nail to keep her from attacking the planet with some disastrous results.

A new starship and a new captain start off 2374, with Daniel Radke not only mourning the loss of Noah Wrightson but also being found guilty of assaulting a Federation civilian: the price a reduction in rank. Leaving on extended leave, Radke's kidnapped by the Treaty Killers, while Graves tries to carve her niche as the Cantabrian's commanding officer. After defeating the Treaty Killers in the present and creating a cease-fire with their counterparts in the past, Wrightson returns to the present, with Graves taking his place in the past. Responding to a new mission with her old captain back at the helm, the Cantabrian is assigned to the Pilmarian-Steranmio War as peacekeepers, while the M'Tar strike the Cantabrian at year's end, one of the senior officers turns her rifle on a transformed Radke.

The Gateway is destroyed. A senior officer's shipped off to another assignment for betraying her crew in their moment of need. Benjamin Caldwell and Helena Bourget have disappeared, presumed dead. And Captain Noah Wrightson and his crew find the Scourge Conglomerate, a nomadic band of races using cityships, are the region's M'Tar lackeys. The Scourge target the Cantabrian-A, and the two play a cat-and-mouse game with disastrous results. A third of the crew die. The Cantabrian's severely damaged. And the survivors need to not only repair the ship but also stop the Scourge Cityship from destroying their next target: Hanej Prime.

The Scourge threat evaporated, the Cantabrian-A crew find their ship refitted and start the long trek home. After one final fight with the Scourge, they depart for parts unknown to find the Renai'i and Dark Messiah. They must battle them both, and the M'Tar, in a final showdown...